Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider for Mac release date rumours: When will the new Tomb Raider game come out on Mac?

Lou Hattersley |
Aug. 13, 2015

Here's everything we know so far about the new Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider, and when - and if - it's likely to come out for the Mac. As well as the Mac release date, we also speculate on the game's UK price and how to buy Lara Croft's new adventure for Mac OS X.

Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the most hotly anticipated video games of 2015. But many Mac fans are wondering when, and if, Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider will come to Mac OS X? In this feature we're going to look at the development plan for Rise of the Tomb Raider, and determine when the Mac release date will be.

Keen video gamers may scoff at the notion of Mac OS X getting such a hotly tipped game as Tomb Raider 2. However, there is a long legacy of Tomb Raider games getting OS X versions (albeit some time after the PC one is released). The original Tomb Raider reboot was released by Feral Interactive within a year of the PC version and is currently available on the Mac App Store.

Rise of the Tomb Raider for Mac (and PC)

The Tomb Raider reboot for PC was developed by Crystal Dynamics, and published by Square Enix. Feral Interactive then developed the Mac OS X version (with Square Enix retaining the copyright).

The current release date for Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider is 10 November 2015. If Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix and Feral repeat the patterns of past releases, you would see Tomb Raider 2 for Mac released some time in 2016.

However, things aren't quite that simple. Square Enix has controversially signed an exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Tomb Raider 2: Rise of the Tomb Raider. The exclusivity deal means that the game will be released for the Xbox One console first. The Windows version is due to arrive afterwards in early 2016, and the PS4 version even later in late 2016. This deal means we could see Rise of the Tomb Raider for Mac as late as 2017.

The wait could be worth it, however: visually the game looks stunning.

This is how developer Crystal Dynamics describes the plot: "Setting the stage for her Siberian adventure, Lara Croft travels to Syria, following a thread that she believes leads to an immortal Prophet's Tomb. Filled with deadly traps, puzzles, and a ruthless shadow organization only steps behind, Lara must use all her skills to survive. The Prophet's Tomb is the first of many tombs in Rise of the Tomb Raider, built to be awe-inspiring deadly spaces, celebrating nostalgic elements through a modern lens."

Rise of the Tomb Raider and Microsoft

Because the PS4 version is scheduled for late 2016, we presume this is the point at which the Microsoft exclusivity deal runs out.

Darrell Gallagher, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studios, said at the game's announcement: "Tomb Raider in 2013 was a success due in large part to your continued support. Our goal has always been to deliver something truly special with Rise of the Tomb Raider.